Drafted by the Houston Astros in the third round of the 1989 amateur draft, Shane Reynolds made his debut with the Astros July 20, 1992. He started that game and allowed six runs in 3.2 innings to the Pittsburgh Pirates. Luckily, the Pirates started Jeff Robinson who also allowed six runs. The Astros were victorious 11-8 in Reynolds debut.
The next season and a half he pitched 36.1 innings. It wasn't until 1994 that he got some significant time in the Major Leagues, and boy did he make an impression. In 124 innings he posted a 3.05 ERA, adjusted for park factors, that's a 131 ERA+. He would finish 11th in Rookie of the year voting.
Reynolds didn't actually begin the year as a starter, but instead pitched out of the bullpen. He made his first of 14 starts on May 11, 1994, and continued to pitch in the rotation until June 29. On July 2 he finished and collected the win in a 6-3 triumph over the Chicago Cubs. He would pitch out of the bullpen for about the next month. From July 29 to August 9 he was put back in the rotation with varying degrees of success. His final appearance of the season came on August 11, when he pitched three innings of one run ball out of the bullpen.
Reynolds would never pitch out of the bullpen for the Astros again. From 1995-2002 Reynolds appeared in 228 games and he started every since one of them.